The dank and cramped basement.
Andrea was covered in blood, and she was kneeling on the ground with both arms suspended by hemp ropes. Her broken flesh could barely contain multiple fractured bones protruding out to create a ghastly appearance.
Behind her, a woman dressed in a white wedding gown yanked her head up, forcing her to look at the wedding decoration projected in front of them.
"Samuel said that marrying me on your death's day would be his wedding gift to me. Of course, he has given me many gifts, such as..." she paused. The scene suddenly switched to a hospital ward.
A skinny man in his middle age was lying in bed. His sunken eyes were filled with tears.
"Audrey, if you feel father owes you, I am here to atone... You want the Levine family's property, and you want Samuel. I agree to it."
The man pleaded, his body trembling. "All you have to do… is spare Andrea. Audrey, can I exchange my life for her?"
The woman standing by his bed laughed cruelly after hearing his words. "Sure. If you choose to side with Andrea till the end of your life, then... You die, and she lives."
Andrea's pupils contracted as she witnessed the scene. Her blood felt as though it froze solid, the icy shards falling from her broken bones.
She had always thought that her father's death was an accident, but she didn't expect it!
Andrea looked at the person behind her with all her strength. Her eyes were red, and her voice hoarse with rage, "Audrey, you've killed father...You're not worth being a human being!"
Audrey looked down at her from above. Her facial features were distorted, and she sneered, "Who asked him to favor you!”
"You dared to put on airs and look down on me all these years. Look at where you are now. The Levine family is mine, Samuel is mine, and everything about you, including your miserable life, is all at my disposal!”
"Do you know why he didn't return on your wedding night?
Because he was busy expending his energy in my bed, telling me your existence nauseates him!"
"How does it feel to go such points as making a fool of yourself, hiding your capabilities for Samuel, and ending up like this?"
Andrea's already torn heart seemed to have been struck, and it was shattered into slag instantly.
"Thud!" A dull sound mixed with the crisp note of displaced bones.
Audrey threw the hammer in her hands away. Her shoulders were shaking with laughter. "I thought your neck was tough, but it's all talk."
Streams of fresh blood poured out from the corners of Andrea's mouth. She no longer felt the pain, only finding her life absurd.
A boundless sense of reluctance and resentment spread all over her body!
Suddenly, the basement door was shoved open.
"Audrey, let's go. Karl is back!"
Audrey turned back Upon hearing Samuel's voice. Then, he met with a loud gunshot.
'Bang!'
Witnessing Samuel, dressed in a groom's attire, collapsed on impact. A sensation of extreme fear and tinnitus washed over her.
Audrey's legs gave out under her. She covered her ears with a pale face and screamed, "Ah!"
At this moment, the man who walked in from outside is broad-shouldered and drenched in blood.
His exceptionally handsome face was as pale as a sheet. His pupils were tinged red, resembling an Asura.
He lifted his gun and aimed the barrel at Audrey. He pulled the trigger without blinking like a bloodthirsty machine that had lost its senses.
One, two, and three shots.
The deafening gunfire almost pierced Andrea's eardrums. She heard Audrey collapsing at her feet, too weak to let out a wail.
Soon, she felt her arms were being released and pulled into a blazing embrace.
"Andrea, don't be afraid. Let's go home," a familiar, hoarse male voice murmured in her ear.
It was him!
Andrea's heart ached and trembled.
'Why…why him...'
He was the one she had wronged the most in her current life.
She deceived and used him all to protect Samuel…
Could it be...that all those rumors were true? Was he the one who was genuinely good to her?
The man gently lifted Andrea, cautiously letting her lean on him.
He stepped over the corpses on the ground and trod across a river of blood, slowly walking out of the basement.
An urgent set of footsteps halted before them. Someone was choking back tears, "Mr Raven, your injury..."
There was a gunshot wound under the man's shoulder. His white shirt was completely soaked in blood. He seemed to lose all sensation. His steps halted. His fingers gently traced Andrea's scarred, tender face.
"Not a single one who has an affair with that man and woman shall be left alive after I die."
He was fueled by anger as he spoke. He lowered his head and fiercely bit into Andrea's bloody lips.
"Sixteen years ago, I fought to keep you alive. How dare you take your own life so freely?"
His words hit like a thunderbolt, rallying Andrea's ebbing consciousness momentarily. What did he say?
Sixteen years ago...was it he who saved her?
The tragedy of her life started with that accident.
Could it be...that everything was wrong from the very beginning?
She had loved and trusted the wrong person. This devastating end was all because... what a cruel joke. An endless wave of sorrow washed over her. This pain was different from physical pain. It was soul-rending.
Andrea felt her soul was being torn apart, piece by piece.
The man's kiss became gentle and lingering. "I will stay this time. I will always be with you. Is that alright?"
'No...'
'No, it's not good!'
Andrea was screaming in her heart, yet she didn't even have the strength to move her lips.
A trail of blood tears slid from the corner of her eyes. 'Not worth it... Jun Tingyan, I'm not worth it!'
Andrea was heartbroken, unwilling, in great sorrow, and died with a remaining grievance!
...
"Andrea?" Andrea heard someone calling her name within the endless darkness.
Pain... It felt like countless ants were gnawing inside her head.
"What an heiress. She's just a brainless idiot obsessed with love, not worth fearing."
'Who was insulting her!'
The pain and intense dizziness forced Andrea to open her eyes subconsciously.
Luxurious compartments, flashing spotlights, soft leather sofas...
That was the Bodega Nightclub.
She had experienced this scene before!
Wasn't she... already dead?
"Let someone come over, three of them? Hehe, our Ms Levine is still a maiden. Take care of her, and don't screw her up."
A familiar voice pierced Andrea's eardrums like a sharp blade.
It was Erin, her best friend.
Yes, it was that day.
She didn't hear Erin say this at that time, but she saw three unbelievably ugly, overweight men rushing toward her when she opened her eyes.
Fortunately, she woke up early. She managed to keep her innocence and escaped by almost killing them.
She ended up comforting Erin, who was pretending to be innocent, and blamed herself when she found Erin with all the scars on her body.
Andrea had supported the Madison family all these years, treating Erin sincerely.
What she got in return was Erin siding with Audrey for a man, deceiving and hurting her.
It was also from that day that Andrea felt ashamed in front of Samuel.
He never touched her, and the look in his eyes that he couldn't hide how much he cared hurt like a knife to her.
'It was ridiculous, truly ridiculous.'
Andrea's eyes were full of fierceness. She clenched her fists, and the veins in her smooth neck were taut.
Andrea's pupils shrank when the slightly longer nails pricked her palm, and she was taken aback.
'Pain?'
She slowly raised her hand and touched her face. The vivid reality and warmth left her stunned, causing her heart to pound violently within her chest.
'This is not a dream! So what is this…'
'Reborn?!'
Had she returned to a time before her official engagement with Samuel? Erin did not give Andrea time to react and impatiently began to walk away with her mobile phone, "Don't worry. Once this is done, I'll ensure your success in the second half of your life."
Andrea's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, a fierce light shooting from within.
'Success? You would rather be dead than alive!'
